Inez Floy Brown was born May 25, 1934, on a small farm in Anadarko, OK. She was the baby sister to two sisters & one brother. She moved from Oklahoma to Modesto, CA in 1946 and later returned to Oklahoma where she lived for many years. Her faith became sight on August 10, 2022 at the age of 88 while in Hillcrest Healthcare in Ashland City, TN.
Inez was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Virgie Francen; sister, Jewel Cherry; spouses: Luvern Ralph Gerjits and Thomas Henry Brown; a son, Leon Gerjits. and a grandson Joshua Penney.
She is survived by her brother Charles Francen and her sister Joyce Taylor; daughter, Judy (Randy) Penney; grandsons, Justin (Amanda) Penney; Jared Penney; Travis Penney; granddaughter, Danielle Penney (Jake Parker); and four great-grandchildren, Lorelai, Everly, Elliott and Emma; many nieces and nephews, one favorite nephew, and several great-nieces and nephews, along with multiple cousins.
Inez loved her family. She never met a stranger and was always ready to share a joke or her signature “look”. She was a true friend and particularly loved going to thrift stores with her long-time Tennessee friend, Charlie and making weekly Friday night calls to her lifelong California friend Marie to stay up to date on each other’s lives and reading lists. She was a wonderful seamstress who had a passion for creative sewing and teaching others her tricks. In recent years she enjoyed sewing hundreds of dresses and shorts for missions to Africa and Honduras wanting to make the outfits fun and beautiful for the children who needed them. Plus, during Covid she made over 500 masks for Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and a number of local nursing homes. She loved to cook and as a family, we will never forget her famous “Stacks” and her secret method for making them so good!
A graveside service is planned at a later date at New Hope Free Will Baptist Church with Bro Corey Minter officiating. Inurnment will follow.
Honorary pallbearers: As a family, we would like to honor the staff at Hillcrest Health Care and Adoration Hospice staff. We want to acknowledge the compassion of these health care workers and the care they provided to Inez. They held her hand and got her dry sense of humor, and did everything they could to encourage her. These professionals provided a high level of personal care, above and beyond what was expected, which made our burden of saying goodbye to one so loved much easier.
Instead of flowers please consider a memorial donation to the James 27:1 Widows’ Ministry at New Hope FWB Church, 1285 New Hope Road, Joelton, Tennessee 37080
AUSTIN & BELL FUNERAL HOME in Pleasant View is in charge of these arrangements. 6316 Highway 41A, Pleasant View, Tennessee 37146 (615) 746-4433 www.austinandbell.com
